Gushue embraces uncertainty at unique Brier

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This article was published 03/03/2021 (1904 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brad Gushue is a titan in Canadian curling.

No monument — a la Mount Rushmore — exists celebrating the greats of the men’s game. If one did, strong consideration would be given to include his image among those carved from the granite.

But the brilliant athlete from St. John’s N.L., a perennial winner, high-powered voice of curling in this country, successful entrepreneur and devoted family man also has his frailties.

Seems his daughters, Hayley, 13, and Marissa, 9, put up a far braver face than dad when it came to their first COVID-19 tests.

“When I went through it the first time, I did not handle it very well,” said Gushue, in a chat Wednesday with the Free Press. “My wife (Krista) took the girls and I wasn’t there, but the report I got back was that they were very brave and took it like champs. Dad, on the other hand, the first time around I went by myself and I’m glad I did because I would have gotten teased big time.”

That brain-tickler nasal swab was months ago when Team Canada, minus lead Geoff Walker who resides in Alberta, played in a an event in Halifax, one of the few men’s bonspiels held during a stunted 2020-21 season owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, 2020 Brier champions haven’t been on the ice, and preparations to defend the crown have included off-ice fitness regimens and Zoom chats with increasing frequency as the competition in the Calgary bubble drew closer. And, of course more swabs, temperature checks and quarantines.

But play finally begins Friday night in spectator-free Markin MacPhail Centre. Gushue’s crew, also with third Mark Nichols and second Brett Gallant, is seeded third, an obvious slight to a team that has seized three of the last four Canadian championships. However, Curling Canada rated teams based on the most recent Canadian Team Ranking System, meaning Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs is the top dog, while Ontario’s John Epping is seeded second.

It matters little to Gushue, who admitted he doesn’t know what a long layoff means to all teams involved.

“My thoughts are to embrace the uncertainty. I’ve played in 17 of these before and can kind of tell you minute to minute, hour to hour, what was going to happen each day. With the bubble situation, things are a whole lot different,” he said. “We haven’t played a game together since the Brier final in Kingston, so how are we going to come together? How are we going to play? How will our communication be? How’s everyone going to be throwing it?”

He expects most teams to experience some early struggles before the cream, inevitably, rises to the top.

“We’re probably going to have to accept some misses that you wouldn’t normally get at this time of year, because teams just haven’t competed or practised much,” Gushue said. “There are probably nine or 10 teams that can beat each other on any given day. I do think (the lack of competition) will equal things out even more.”

Gushue’s first career Brier championship was generated at a jam-packed, electric hometown arena four years ago, while triumphs in Regina and Kingston were met by a frenzied reception from the crowds.

The relative silence inside the venue this week — beyond the usual bellowing during line calls — will take some adjusting to, he noted.

“What came across (from the Scotties) as a little cringy was when Kerri (Einarson) won (last Sunday), and just that quietness, the hugging of teammates and that was basically it,” said Gushue, 40, an Olympic gold medallist 15 years ago in Turin, Italy. “Usually, you shake the other team’s hands and you embrace your family. All of those norms after a big championship were gone.

“That was a real moment for me that showed this is going to be quite a bit different.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell